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• More on F1
  Ross J MacKenzie
  Published on: 27 August 2002
• F1 and Advertising
  Ross MacKenzie
  Published on: 29 May 2002

• Published on: 27 August 2002

  More on F1

  • Ross J MacKenzie, Researcher

  Bernie Ecclestone's strategy of continuing Formula 1's relationship with tobacco sponsors at seemingly any cost is raising the ire of motor racing purists.

  As European bans on sponsorship become increasingly likely, Ecclestone plans to move races from traditional circuits to countries that have no foreseeable plans to ban tobacco sponsorship.

  Rumour has it that among the courses to be axed from the F1...

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  Bernie Ecclestone's strategy of continuing Formula 1's relationship with tobacco sponsors at seemingly any cost is raising the ire of motor racing purists.

  As European bans on sponsorship become increasingly likely, Ecclestone plans to move races from traditional circuits to countries that have no foreseeable plans to ban tobacco sponsorship.

  Rumour has it that among the courses to be axed from the F1 schedule is the venerable Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Wriitng in the Guardian (26 August, 2002), Richard Williams assesses the history of the track and the reasons for its apparent imminent loss of F1 status.

  "Incredibly" he says, "Spa is said to be high on Bernie Ecclestone's hit-list of circuits that may lose their formula one race in order to accomodate newcomers to the calendar."

  That Spa's loss has less to do with it's inherent quailites than tobacco sponsorship appears obvious, "Should the worst happen, the immediate beneficiary is likely to be China, the UAE, Bahrain or Turkey. Ecclestone's desire to spread formula one to new markets - and preferably markets with no immediate plans to ban tobacco advertising- admits to no sentiment or even to a sense of history."

  http://sport.guardian.co.uk/formulaone/comment/0,10070,780641,00.html

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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• Published on: 29 May 2002

  F1 and Advertising

  • Ross MacKenzie, Researcher

  Notwithstanding evidence on the impact of advertising in sport, the powers that be in F1 have little interest in seeing tobacco sponsorship curtailed anytime in the near future.

  Bernie Ecclestone, the man most responsible for F1's recent dramatic growth is on record as saying a ban on tobacco advertising isn't needed as it would have a negligible impact on the smoking habits of its millions of viewers.

  ...

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  Notwithstanding evidence on the impact of advertising in sport, the powers that be in F1 have little interest in seeing tobacco sponsorship curtailed anytime in the near future.

  Bernie Ecclestone, the man most responsible for F1's recent dramatic growth is on record as saying a ban on tobacco advertising isn't needed as it would have a negligible impact on the smoking habits of its millions of viewers.

  'If tobacco was killing people it was doing so a long time ago. There has been no evidence, ever, that people who watch [F1] smoke. No one has ever proved that to me. Kids smoke because they think it's the right thing to do. It's more likely they do so because their parents or the people who surround them smoke. All the tobacco commercial says is, "If you are smoking, smoke our brand". It doesn't say "Smoke!"' (http://www.observer.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,708327,00.html )

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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